1. Field of Invention
The field of the present invention relates in general to networks and more particularly to the hosting of applications on a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The growth of the global network identified as the Internet has in part been spawned by a range of business applications made available on the Internet. These include online: catalogues; shopping; financial services; financial management; marketing; business exchanges; customer relationship management; and entertainment such as news and sports. Each of these online applications requires a complex set of hardware and software for delivery. The hardware elements include at a minimum firewalls; switches; routers; web, application and database servers and backup devices all of which need to be connected to the Internet. The skill sets required to manage these elements and the associated software are formidable.
The management task is made more formidable by the availability and security requirements for online applications. Typically an online application must target 24/7/365 availability. This availability target dictates the introduction of redundancy into the hardware and software which in turn adds to the complexity of the management task. The security requirements are dictated by the nature of the information, typically highly sensitive, being transmitted and stored by each of the applications. Since the Internet is an open medium the hardware environment used to provide the application is subject to constant threat of attack. Even when information is transmitted the packets in which it is bundled may be intercepted. Various measures and counter-measures exists to address each security issue, but they are in a constant state of flux.
Not surprisingly the task of managing and provisioning of Internet applications has fallen on the shoulders of a specialized class of vendors, currently identified as Application Service Providers (ASPs). These third-party vendors may be part of a large enterprise, may be a separate entity from the enterprise, may be part of the independent software vendor, or businesses which provide a specific application, or may exist separately from those businesses. They manage and distribute software-based services and solutions to customers across a wide area network such as the Internet from a central data center on which the applications are hosted. In essence, ASPs provide a way for companies to outsource some aspects of their information technology (IT) needs. A typical ASP manages the hosting of multiple applications for multiple businesses or business units, with each application having its own discrete client audiences. The ASP is thus in a position to justify the considerable investment in personnel, hardware, and software needed to host Internet applications.
Success or failure of ASPs rests on providing personalized solutions for each application vendor and corresponding client group and on automating its services. A typical ASP achieves this level of service with a corresponding growth in personnel, which cuts into profitability. What is needed are new service solutions for ASPs which enhance profitability and improve customer responsiveness.